The neuroscience of no regrets: why people still support Brexit and Trump

Many people still strongly support Brexit and Trump, despite mounting evidence that both are problematic. Much of this is not politics, but the workings of the human brain

It's now over a year since the Brexit referendum and the election of Donald Trump, plenty of time to witness the consequences of both. And, from an entirely objective perspective, going solely by the ever-increasing evidence, they were terrible decisions. Brexit has gifted Britain a veritable avalanche of governmental chaos, economic damage, international humiliation, internal strife, and much more. The Donald Trump administration has provided essentially the same for the US, although perhaps with slightly less economic injury. But more Nazis.

You'd logically assume that, when confronted with the fallout from their decisions, those who supported Brexit and Trump would realise they'd made a mistake, and change their minds. However, when have people ever been logical? Recent polls show support for Brexit and Trump relatively unchanged, at least among those who supported them originally.